More doesn’t always necessarily mean better. Take, as an example, the LDV T60 Traverse - a limited edition of ute generally priced at the lower end of the segment and offering up a pretty damn good package for the money asked.
Okay, the T60 is a bit rough around the edges, riding - and generally feeling - like a previous generation Hilux or D-Max but getting away with it because it is significantly cheaper from the current crop of segment leaders that have advanced the ute well past those more agricultural days.
So, what happens when you take a B-grade ute and start speccing it up like an A-grader? Well, you get the LDV T60 Traverse.
The Traverse is an excellent idea on paper, taking a sharply priced ute (the T60 range tops out at $49,990) and adding a bunch of off-road accessories, along with a few trick appearance additions.
Should be a no-brainer, right? Except it really isn’t.
Now, don't take that to mean the T60 itself is not good. It is still perfectly fine under all the extra kit, but the problem is that LDV has added a lot of A-grade accessories to a B-grade ute, which adds A-grade money to the price.
That means that the T60 Traverse costs a frankly silly $69,690. An amount of money that would get you a very good Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux. Hell, it would even score you a Volkswagen Amarok, which is a Ranger with a fancier interior. I mean, drop another $5k and you can get a fully kitted-up 165kW Hilux GR Sport or Ranger Tremor with its trick Bilstein suspension.
And the LDV? Well, it is left as being a $70k ute that rides, handles and feels every bit like the $50k ute it really is under all those accessories.
The T60 Traverse costs a frankly silly $69,690. An amount of money that would get you a very good Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux.
The extra gear really is top shelf stuff, however, with a Titan roof tray, a TJM snorkel and 18-inch DTM alloy wheels with all terrain tyres, along with pretty much every optional extra on the LDV pricelist thrown in for good measure.
All of which is very nice to have, but the hard, cheap plastics that make up the interior, flat and unsupportive seats and rugged old-school ride really do work against that big price tag.
As I mentioned earlier, the T60 feels like a several-generation old ute when compared to the likes of a Ford Ranger (which, to be fair, makes all other Utes feel a generation old anyway), and the way it leans and bounces around on the road has you very grateful with how far ute development has come in the last decade.
Of course, the Traverse also gets the same engine as the rest of the LDV T60 range (apart from the EV, of course), which is an equally old fashioned 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel that manages to squeeze out 160kW of power and 480Nm of torque, which is competitive in the segment, but its noisy and coarse nature puts it firmly on the back foot.
The 8-speed automatic transmission is a perfectly good shifter, however, and generally has a knack of finding the right gear at the right time, but it can occasionally be a tad coarse and clunky as well.
For $70k you can have any number of utes that are modern, comfortable and loaded with features. The LDV T60 Traverse is none of those things.
The other potential downside to the T60 in general is its towing capacity. While being able to haul 3000kg is perfectly respectable (and more than enough for most people) it is still 500kg down on the likes of a Ranger or Hilux.
Normally none of these things would particularly irk me, even in the top-spec T60 Lux, because it retails at $49,990 – or $6k less than a single cab chassis base model Ranger XL (and a whopping $12k less than the entry wellside double cab version) - or in line with the less powerful, but better built competitors like the SsangYong Rhino and GWM Cannon X.
However, serving up the same old school experience at $70k is a whole different proposition. That’s $10k more than a Ranger Sport and $5k more than a top-spec Toyota Hilux SR5 Cruiser (which is now only available as a hybrid) or, perhaps more damningly, it’s the same price as the uber-high-tech BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid that packs a massively high-quality interior, excellent ride and a stonking 321kW/650Nm electrified powertrain.
Which, much to the Traverse’s detriment, throws things into pretty sharp relief.
What are the key statistics for the LDV T60 Traverse?
The Traverse uses the same basic mechanicals as the rest of the T60 range, namely a 160kW/480Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission and a BorgWarner part-time transfer case with the expected 2WD, 4WD and 4WD low options.
Is the LDV T60 Traverse efficient?
It's basically on par for the segment, with LDV claiming a combined average fuel consumption of 9.3l/100km. We saw around 11 in our time with the Traverse, which is neither spectacular nor awful for the ute segment.
Is the LDV T60 Traverse good to drive?
The T60 is very much an old-school traditional-style ladder chassis ute with ride and handling characteristics that shout "I am designed for carrying loads and driving off road" in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately, the segment leaders have moved past this and the T60 feels like a several-generation old ute in comparison.
Is the LDV T60 Traverse practical?
It's a double cab ute, so practicality is a given with a large tray for cargo and a spacious cabin for passengers. However, the T60 does fall short of the segment leaders in terms of payload and towing capacity, only being able to carry 750kg in the tray and tow 3000kg on a trailer, down on the 900+ and 3500 we are used to from the competition.
What do we like about the LDV T60 Traverse?
It looks fantastic with all its matte black accessories and the chunky all-terrain tyres on equally chunky DTM wheels.
What don’t we like about the LDV T60 Traverse?
The price. For $70k you can have any number of utes that are modern, comfortable and loaded with features. The LDV T60 Traverse is none of those things. For $49,990 the LDV T60 Lux is a compelling package at a bargain price, but the Traverse's accessories push it into an uncomfortably higher segment that it simply isn't competitive in.
What kind of person would the LDV T60 Traverse suit?
Somebody who wants a ute that looks the part but isn't really interested in things like handling, ride comfort or quality.
